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We heard yesterday that Lisa and Jackie Blackmon are no longer at Stargate Sporthorses. Does anyone know who will be handling the breeding program there? A friend wants to breed to Bergamon this year, but the only phone number she has is for the Blackmons, and they are not returning her calls.

We heard yesterday that Lisa and Jackie Blackmon are no longer at Stargate Sporthorses. Does anyone know who will be handling the breeding program there? A friend wants to breed to Bergamon this year, but the only phone number she has is for the Blackmons, and they are not returning her calls.

Good grief. The facility there and the huge investment in horses made by the owners was linked to their association with the Blackmons. What an opportunity for the right trainer. Sure hope the owners haven't been soured enough to leave the sport.

Who are the owners? I think that they did some pretty significant "sponsorship" last year in the dressage world (prize money at competitions) - just wondering how much this will "upset the apple cart"?

Laurie-
For whatever reason, the identity of the owners of Stargate has been a mystery to many. With the the different warmblood registries as well as the sponsorship of breed competitions, the contact has always been listed as Lisa and Jackie Blackmon. Even during the USDF symposium at Stargate, most spectators were under the impression that the Blackmons owned the place. To my knowledge, whenever the Blackmons were asked directly who owned Stargate, their response was vague and amounted to "a group of investors". It was odd from the beginning....most generous sponsors enjoy recognition in the horse world and their trainers/riders turn cartwheels to thank them publicly.

Well corporations can have many stockholders and very often they don't want to be identified. Not unusual - why should the horseworld be any different?

If it were "breaking news" everytime trainers moved to another facility - well..........!!! Here in NJ - we always laugh about the annual "change of venue" - often when they are returning from FLA.

BTW - I had sen an email to Jackie the other day and had a response the same day. So Chris - perhaps your friend should just send an email. I hope that whomever you "heard" this from is correct - since you announced this on this BB.

I think the fact that Stargate Sporthorses was built for and to the specifications of Lisa and Jackie Blackmon makes their reported departure noteworthy, most especially because the facility and the breeding/sales program were in the infancy stages of promotion and recognition. Likewise, I believe it is normal for mare owners who might have chosen to breed to a Stargate stallion to be concerned about who exactly will be in charge of this part of the Stargate business. It could be helpful to know the owner's name, or am I unreasonable?

Funny this thread is here. I just got a call n ot 30 min. ago asking if I knew what the deal was.

According to the caller (who trains at a barn near there), the Blackmons were escorted off the property by security guards of somekind and it was videotaped. Apparently the gates are closed or are closing soon and boarders are scrambling to find new homes for their horses. Some have ended up at this trainer's place and they are the ones who said Blackmon's were escorted off the property.

The relationship between the Blackmon's and the owners was a little mysterious. I was told at one point (and sorry I don't remember who told me...it may have been Jackie) the man who owns MJ Designs and Michael's was one of the main investors. Around here many of the MJ Designs stores were closed in 2003 and I wondered how it would affect Stargate. He had had financial problems in the past. I also believe there was some other investors from California.

It is such an incredible facility, I hope that it reopens, but the overhead had to be stupendous.

Sorry if I've offended anyone, not trying to be a "gossip monger", just figure out what happened and how it will affect the DFW horse community.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> I hope that whomever you "heard" this from is correct - since you announced this on this BB.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Good grief! Perhaps you should take up kickboxing or something. You obviously have a lot of anger that you need to deal with in a more constructive manner. Your passive-aggressive manner is getting old.

Perhaps Bergamom will get to walk from his stall to the walker thing without his surcingle on and his neck straight up and his nose on his chest, all "rigged up". I really "felt" for him and thought he miust be one heck of a good-natured horse.

In the case of absentee ownership and sponsorship situaitons, this is not a surprising scenario. We've seen it before. I imagine the horses will be treated well in the transition and I wish them well.
Donna

Wow....this puts the other thread where I was torn to shreds to shame......LOL

Guys, be careful on stating an opinion or even facts about what you know or even think is true......it can get blow way out of hand and the next thing you know, you will also become the "anti-christ deamon from hell".....

One thing I will say after my last issue, is there are TWO sides to every story, so lets not judge unless we know all the facts....

The tax bills for the Stargate Sporthorses property are sent to 300 Crescent Ct Suite 1000 Dallas TX. That address is also the address for Highland Trust Company, which is a trust for the Wyly Family - brothers Sam and Charles - (big time friends of Dubya). They are involved in Michaels - but that's only a small portion of their business holdings. If they are Stargate owners I doubt that they are too terribly concerned with normal operating expenses and overhead.

Fallbrook:
I turn you words back to you:
"Good grief! Perhaps you should take up kickboxing or something. You obviously have a lot of anger that you need to deal with in a more constructive manner. Your passive-aggressive manner is getting old."

In what manner is this information threatening to you? I simply demonstrated that it isn't necessary to speculate on relationships when the information is available in the public domain. It took all of 5 minutes to look up. If I wish to interject an personal note about the Wyly family tie to politics and you choose to interpret that as a right wing conspiracy theory......well, I think that says more about you than it does about me. http://chronicleforums.com/groupee_c...n_rolleyes.gif